Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Gorman for putting on the record some very important indisputable facts around a reality of threats that have been issued to juries in organised crime cases in recent years. That is one of the primary reasons this House needs to unite to express our support for resolutions put forward by the Minister today. I have no hesitation whatsoever in supporting the continuation of many of these very important measures in the fight against the scourge of organised crime in this country. That being said, I support the Minister's commitment and indeed the amendments tabled by colleagues, including Deputy McNamara, which seeks to review the efficacy of the legislation. That is important, is something that makes sense, and is as it should be. If I have one criticism of some aspects of the legislation, or the operation of it at least, it is that in my view, given my experience of being from and representing the Drogheda area, some of the provisions are not used enough to bring well-known gangsters before the courts and bring them to justice.

As the Minister is well aware, two gangs at war over the drugs trade in my home town have wreaked havoc over the past two or more years. The Garda, the Criminal Assets Bureau and other agencies have done really important work and have achieved some considerable success in recent months in tackling this gangland feud in my area. This is as a result of very detailed, painstaking hard work by local gardaí resourced by the Commissioner and the Minister's Department. In a week when the life of an exemplary member of the force, Detective Garda Colm Horkan, was taken, we must take time to remember and thank all gardaí across this country for the work they do on our behalf, keeping us and our communities safe, often under extremely difficult circumstances.

In Drogheda there are a relatively small number of people involved at the top of these criminal enterprises, but their actions and those of the gangs they control have damaged and destroyed countless lives.

We are all rightly horrified when young men such as Keane Mulready-Woods are barbarically murdered. Vicious events such as these capture the national and international headlines. What we do not read about too often is the impact that the operation of these gangs has on other victims, with arson attacks on homes, ongoing drug debt intimidation, and the intimidation of parents and grandparents. Defenceless and vulnerable young girls have been sickeningly abused and sexually exploited by low lifes to settle drug debts. That is the reality of this heinous trade and the unspeakable reality of life for many everyday victims of these disgusting gangs and the trade that they are in. Many of the young girls who are victims of this abuse are afraid to report it to An Garda Síochána because of the fear they have of further attacks, intimidation and of threats. This is the seedy, tragic underbelly and fallout from organised crime. None of this should be tolerated in any way or at any time in a society that calls itself just and decent.

The people ultimately responsible for these kinds of outrages and problems are those at the tops of these groups. The dogs on the street know who they are and it should be possible to haul them before the courts and deprive them of their liberty on the opinion evidence of a Garda chief superintendent, backed up by evidence to corroborate the fact that they are responsible for directing organised crime. We know that when these thugs are beaten, there is a community to repair. I appeal to the Minister finally to accept my long-standing appeal to establish a multi-agency task force backed up by a social investment plan to help to develop the parts of my home area that have been most affected by the scourge of gang crime. That way, we can replace fear and dread with hope.

On a separate but related matter, given the enormous resources and manpower involved in calling to the homes of those who are on bail to check that they are complying with provisions, I am baffled as to why the provisions of the Bail Act to allow for electronic monitoring, that is, tagging, have still not been commenced. Tagging measures to monitor the movements of those on bail were passed in section 11 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. In 2020, when citizens in towns like my own have been subjected to all kinds of mayhem by thugs on bail, it is wrong that hard-working gardaí cannot seek such a condition in the courts and then implement it to monitor those who are on bail who are defendants in very serious criminal cases. The truth is that, from what we read and what we know, there appears to be an ongoing wrangle relating to the costs involved in introducing this kind of tagging and indeed who would monitor the system.

I appeal to the Minister to ensure that that element of the legislation is commenced, that electronic monitoring for those on bail and charged with serious criminal offences proceeds, and that we get on with that job once and for all. That is one of the best ways to support the ongoing work of An Garda Síochána. I know from experience in my own community the substantial resources of manpower, cash, overtime and so on go into monitoring these individuals, calling to their homes, checking that they are not breaking curfews and such. There is a better way to do this to free up the resources that we need to tackle these criminal gangs head on and bring them to justice.

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